Two sources close to the Bush family have told National Journal that George W. Bush quietly underwent back surgery several months ago to deal with a nagging disc problem.

The 43rd president and his wife, Laura, spent the entire month of January in Florida so Bush could recuperate from the surgery and take in some spring-training baseball.

These sources say Bush’s doctors told him to give up golf until his back healed, but he managed to sneak in some chipping and putting in Florida and has now been seen back on the links at a Dallas country club.

“He has a tendency to overdo it, but he does love his golf,” a friend chuckled.

DeFrank, one of the finest reporters ever to cover the White House, has deep Texas roots, having graduated from Texas A&M, where he first made his name as an exceptional journalist.

He has covered presidents for some four decades and wrote an exceptional book about the candid observations of former President Gerald Ford.

Speaking of George H.W. Bush, DeFrank (and he should know) says that doctors have OK’d him for travel to Dallas, where the 88-year-old Houston resident would like to attend the dedication of George W. Bush’s presidential library and institute at SMU on April 25.